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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Grande French Meat Pie

As promised, I am posting my version of my Aunt Mary’s
French Meat Pie.

I’ve made the recipe twice and still think that it could use
some tweaking when it comes to the potato processing and crust.

My aunt uses Pillsbury Ready-Made crusts, which are a real
time-saver. Making these pies can be a bit of an arduous process. Despite this, I try to make at least two pies out of my batch using homemade crusts. The Pillsbury crusts are great, but I have to say that my
favorite and most flaky crusts were those that I made with butter. I
experimented with butter, lard, and duck fat and they all turned out delicious.
When it comes to using animal fat in pie crust, a 2/3 butter to 1/3 animal fat
seems to be a good ratio.

On to the recipe!

This recipe is to make about six 9-inch pies - it makes 6 pies if you are using disposable pie plates and ready-made dough. If you are using deep dish plates with homemade crust, it makes 4 or 5 pies. As previously mentioned,
this is a somewhat labor-intensive process, so you should make your pies in bulk.
They freeze well and are perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, parties, book clubs, and hostess gifts!

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

12 Pillsbury Ready Made Pie Crusts (6 boxes)

OR

15 cups all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups per crust)

3 pounds butter (12 sticks)

6 tsp Kosher salt

2-3 cups ice water (anywhere from 2-4 tablespoons per crust)

**If you decide to substitute lard or duck fat in the pie crust, use 5 or 6 tablespoons butter and 2-3 tablespoons of animal fat per crust.

I make two crusts at a time by hand… making all 12 (six top
and bottom crusts) would be difficult to do by hand. However, if you use a food
processor it might be feasible. Measure 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour and 1 tsp
salt into a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, blend 2 sticks of butter into
flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. As I mentioned in my sausage gravy and biscuits recipe, please get yourself a pastry cutter. Once combined,
add 1-2 tablespoons of ice water at a time (I mix using a wooden spoon), pressing
mixture together until it starts to stick together. Divide in half and form into 2 balls
of dough. Flatten into a disk and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (this can be done a day or two ahead of time).

FILLING

Chop two large onions.

I prefer using one sweet or yellow onion and one with a
little more bite – white or red onions. I imagine that shallots would also work
well. Throw onions into a large pot (I use a 6 quart stock pot) with the loose
sausage. If you can find good local sausage, use it… or even better, make your own!

Their sausage is the best I’ve ever had! I used 2 pounds of
mild and 1 pound of spicy sausage in my recipe. Having run out of my favorite, I
used Jimmy Dean sausage for my second batch of pies and while they were tasty,
I prefer the pies made with Cedar Run’s sausage.

Chop, julienne, or grind your potatoes. My darling husband taught me how to julienne potatoes (it's wasteful, but fast). I have to say that he makes an awesome sous chef. For my next batch, I think that I’ll boil the potatoes first and then use a potato ricer. My Grandma Grande used to grind her potatoes, so the potato ricer might be a good option.

Throw the potatoes in the
pot and stir.

You can either cook this all down on your stovetop until the
potatoes are tender, or use my aunt’s preferred method: Throw it all into a roasting pan, then bake
covered at 350 until the potatoes have softened (about one hour). Check
periodically and add water and/or stir if you notice anything sticking. Trust me, this method is much easier.

While the pie filling is baking in the oven, prepare the pie crusts. Lightly flour
your counter area and rolling pin. Roll out your refrigerated disks into
circles that are about 2-3” wider than your pie plate. Holding your plate over
your rolled-out crust is a good way to see if they’re wide enough.

It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to be big enough to fit in the plate. Pie amoebas are perfectly acceptable.

I have a few pie crust tips for you first-timers. Always roll in one
direction; don’t go back and forth. Once you’re done rolling in one direction,
turn your pin about a quarter of the way each time (think of a clock dial) and roll in a new
direction. Roll slowly and I promise you won’t have nearly as many problems.
Trust me, be patient. My first few crusts were a disaster, but I’ve gotten
better with each crust I make. Use the rolling pin to transfer the dough into the pie pan.

Once the potatoes in the filling are cooked, let cool
slightly. Divide filling evenly between pie crusts.

Place top crust on filled
pies and flute. I’ve found that the best thing to do is first tuck any excess
dough up under the edge of the crust and press with my thumbs to seal. Then I
use my thumb and index fingers to make the fluting. YouTube is a great source
for learning how to flute. I can tell you that it’s difficult to make a nice
edge when you have fingernails, so cut them short for this task.

If you discover that fluting isn't your thing, press edges together and use the tines of a fork to make a decorative edge.

If you’re going to serve the pies immediately: Prick the
crusts and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, or until cooked to the crust
color or doneness that you prefer. You may need to cover the edges to prevent
burning.

If you’re going to freeze the pies: Prick the crusts and let
cool at room temperature. After pies have cooled, cover tightly with plastic
wrap (I love Glad Press & Seal!) and a sheet of foil.

Baking frozen pies: Remove foil and plastic wrap. Bake pies in a preheated 400 degree oven for about an hour (or until
crust is done to your liking). You may want to cover the edges to prevent them
from burning.

Serve with ketchup. I also love to top my pie slice with an
over-easy egg. It is the perfect addition to this dish, especially for brunch.